1. Field
The present teachings generally relate to grazing incidence reflectors such as grazing incidence reflectors having relatively high numeric apertures for UV and x-ray light.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many optics applications, it is desirable to collect and deliver UV or x-ray light from a source to a selected location. Semiconductor fabrication, for example, is one application where UV light can be used, for example, in processes such as lithography. Some types of light used in semiconductor photolithography include 193 nm, 157 nm, and 13.4 nm (extreme ultraviolet, EUV, or x-ray) electromagnetic radiations. Light in the EUV regime appears to have promising lithographic applications.
One problem with EUV light as a lithographic tool is that typical EUV sources do not provide sufficient power output for efficient lithography processing. For example, a common EUV source provides less than approximately 10 watts. Such a source by itself cannot provide sufficient power to process wafers efficiently, if possible at all. In some wafer fabrication applications, it is estimated that about 100 watts of EUV power is needed to process about 120 wafers per hour to be cost effective. Thus, one can see why the lack of source power is considered to be one of the significant obstacles to the adoption of EUV lithography.
There is a need, therefore, for improvements in delivering sufficient light to a selected location for various applications. In one example, there is a need for delivering light in the EUV regime with sufficient power to facilitate efficient semiconductor fabrication processes such as lithography.